Perth dam levels swell after wet winter

Perth’s dams have swelled to their highest levels in almost a decade after a return to relatively average rainfall over the past two winters.

The Water Corporation said yesterday that almost 100 billion litres of run-off had flowed into Perth’s network of reservoirs between June and last month — just shy of the post-1975 average of 107 billion litres.

It comes after one of the city’s wettest winters in years during which 467.4mm of rain fell, almost in line with the historical average of 473.7mm.

Back-to-back normal winters, which reverse a trend of increasingly dry weather in Perth, have spared cash-strapped Treasurer Ben Wyatt the need to invest in a new drinking water source during this term of government.

Up until last year, the State Government had been looking at paying up to $1 billion on a new source such as a desalination plant to ensure Perth did not run short of water.

But run-off into dams means any decision on a major upgrade is not expected to be needed until at least 2021.